Jackson, Chambers struggle as Falcons squelch passing game

The only words out of Vincent Jackson's mouth, though few in number, proved succinct enough. Without ever hearing the question, he pretty much summed up his day as a Chargers wide receiver.

“Not today,” said Jackson, declining to be interviewed, then dressing and departing. “Got nothing for you, buddy. Nada.”

True enough. Truer words, never spoken.

Indeed, nothing caught, nothing gained.

Ostensibly, Jackson is the deep threat of the Chargers offense, or the closest thing to it. He has a considerable size advantage on defensive backs, particularly those as small as the Atlanta Falcons have, but Jackson didn't catch a ball in bounds Sunday.

The Chargers had all sorts of problems on offense Sunday. Not much of a rushing game. Third-down efficiency of 25 percent. Almost 10 full minutes less in time of possession. Drives starting with Philip Rivers' cleats on the wrong side of the goal line when he reached in for the snap from center.

The most glaring difficulty they seemed to have, however, was getting the ball downfield on a secondary that's hardly top-rated. Not only did Rivers complete just 17-of-30 passes, but his receivers averaged 8.8 yards per catch, and nearly half of those receptions were by running backs LaDainian Tomlinson (five) and fullback Jacob Hester (three).

Malcom Floyd, technically not a starter, became the go-to wideout with five receptions and the longest pickup of 18 yards. Chris Chambers? Pro Bowl receiver? The sure-handed, balletic, veteran wideout who helped turn around the Chargers last year?

One catch. Two yards.

“Some games I come out feeling kind of helpless, to tell the truth,” said Chambers, who caught six passes in the previous outing against Indianapolis. “I want to contribute a lot more. I know we have a lot of weapons, so there are going to be games when you're not going to get the opportunity. What I think we need to look into is getting everybody involved.”

“Opportunity.” There's that word again. It's precisely the one Tomlinson has continually used when expressing his frustration with the Chargers' diminished running game in 2008, clearly meaning he wanted to carry the ball more. Now the same sense of exasperation is evident in the receiving corps.

Specifically, the wideouts were ineffective Sunday, especially compared to a fleet and clutch corps of Atlanta wide receivers who were feeding off rookie quarterback Matt Ryan for a dozen catches. That's not to mention the deep Ryan throws that fell incomplete, but either drew a pass-interference penalty or put the Chargers on their heels.

“We don't take shots,” said Chambers. “When you take shots down the field, you may miss them, but you'll still open up the field. We have the receivers with great athletic ability. We just need to sit and re-evaluate some of the things we're doing and come up with a better game plan to execute.

“ Some of the guys were talking about this. Right now, as an offense, we're lacking our identity. We pretty much don't know exactly what we want to be. Do we want to run the ball? Do we want to throw the ball? We have the players, outstanding players, players who can make great plays. We're just not giving them opportunities.”

Admittedly, too, some of those players aren't making the plays they're expected to make. Star tight end Antonio Gates only had three catches for 27 yards, just one after the game-opening drive, but he also dropped a pass.

Jackson's two “catches” didn't come until the fourth quarter, each just inches shy of a touchdown. From the Atlanta 25-yard line, Rivers threw a ball inside the 5-yard line that Jackson clutched, but with only one foot inside the sideline. That necessitated a field-goal try by Nate Kaeding that was blocked. The next Chargers series ended with Jackson catching a third-down pass from the 10, but he was ruled beyond the back line of the end zone.

“This one was very difficult,” said Gates. “It's frustrating because what you saw today was not the San Diego Chargers. Nowhere near it. We struggled offensively, continued to make mental mistakes that killed us.”